Worth the Wait
by YanksLuver
Summary: Summary: What if Sydney and Vaughn had never been interrupted and actually made it up to that room? What would have happened? Probably not what you think! :)


Title: Worth the Wait  
  
Author: Steph (ILUVNYYANK@aol.com)  
  
Category: Romance/Drama, bit of Humor  
  
Spoilers: "The Getaway"  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Archive: Sure, just let me know where.  
  
Disclaimer: Alias and its characters do not belong to me. I do this out of a love for the show and no infringement is intended.  
  
Summary: What if Sydney and Vaughn had never been interrupted and actually made it up to that room? What would have happened? Probably not what you think! :)  
  
Note: All right, so let's just say I felt that Sydney and Vaughn needed to make it up to that room. I just had an idea of what I wanted to happen if they did. I also wanted to address something that I wish the show had and that was bothering me. Hope you enjoy it and please let me know what you thought. ~Steph  
  
* * * Worth the Wait: Part 1/1 * * *  
  
Vaughn grabbed the key off the table and swallowed hard, as he looked over at Sydney. She took a deep breath and then offered him a nervous smile.  
  
Vaughn stood first and Sydney followed. He allowed her to walk slightly ahead of him and then, hesitantly, placed his hand on her lower back to guide her.  
  
They walked upstairs in silence, their stomachs churning with a mixture of excitement and apprehension.  
  
Vaughn looked down at the key and then stopped in front of a door. "This is it. Room 22."  
  
He turned to Sydney and met her eyes, his voice lowering. "Are you sure about this?"  
  
Sydney took a step closer to him. "Are you?" She eyed him for a moment, before moving her gaze to floor. "What about Alice?"  
  
"I broke it off with her," Vaughn replied.  
  
This caused Sydney to jerk her head up, her brow furrowing in confusion. "When?"  
  
"The other day, after our fight...After you got mad at me for not telling you we'd gotten back together. I realized that I wasn't being fair to her. She was my girlfriend in name only." He lowered his eyes and then added softly, "Everything I'm supposed to feel for her, I feel for someone else. I couldn't pretend any longer, so I broke it off."  
  
A smile spread across Sydney's face. She moved closer to him, their eyes meeting and her smile growing seductive. Vaughn backed up until he was pressed up against the door and Sydney was temptingly close to him.  
  
He licked his lips, his voice now husky with desire. "You have to be sure, Syd. If we do this, there's no turning back. Things will be different between us. Things will change."  
  
"I like change," she whispered, her breath tickling his lips before hers crashed into them.  
  
He responded immediately, his lips dancing with hers and his tongue eagerly exploring. His arms encircled her waist and he pulled her as close to him as possible. Her hands moved to his neck, digging her nails into the hair at the nape.  
  
Vaughn forced himself to remove one hand from Sydney's waist and searched for the doorknob behind him. He finally found it and turned, the door giving way under their weight. They both stumbled backwards, but didn't fall. They laughed between kisses.  
  
Vaughn walked backwards, until he felt his foot hit the bed. Then he pulled back from Sydney and looked at her. Her hungry eyes said she wanted to do this as much as he did. He licked his lips, before spinning her around and gently guiding her body down onto the bed.  
  
He hovered over her, smiling and marveling at her beauty. Her soulful eyes...soft, flawless skin....full, inviting lips.  
  
God, he loved her. He loved her so much it physically hurt.  
  
Her lips spread into a broad smile, eyes sparkling. She grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him down to her, their lips once again meeting in a feverish kiss.  
  
Sydney's hands moved to Vaughn's shoulders. She pushed the jacket off his shoulders and he helped her with the rest, the jacket landing in a ball on the floor. Her eager hands then wandered down his back to his waist and she began to tug at his shirt. She'd nearly untucked it, when he abruptly pulled back.  
  
He looked down at her, his eyes still blazing with desire but now mixed with doubt.  
  
Sydney brought a hand up to his cheek. "What's wrong?"  
  
He swallowed against the lump in his throat and then shook his head, his voice emerging so softly she barely heard him, "I can't do this."  
  
Sydney's eyes widened, her brow wrinkling in confusion. "I don't understand. I thought you wanted this."  
  
He backed off of her and stood up, a bitter smile now occupying his lips. "I do. I did. I mean, I have for what seems like forever." Sydney sat up, her eyes locked on his face. He shook his head, "But not like this."  
  
She shrugged her shoulders. "What do you mean?"  
  
Vaughn sighed and sat down next to her. His eyes reluctantly met hers. "Since the day I met you, I've been dreaming about this. You were going through a lot back then Syd, so I know this is newer for you. But, for me, it goes back that far. I've been dreaming about being with you forever, Sydney, and the more I got to know you, the harder it became to resist. And then this happened and it's almost like it's too good to be true. I had convinced myself that if this day ever came, it wouldn't be for a long time, until things were safe. And now..." he ran a hand through his hair, "here we are and I can't go through with it."  
  
Sydney touched his arm. "Why?"  
  
He briefly closed his eyes before meeting hers again. "Because this is not how I want it to be. I want to have all of you, Sydney, and when I do, I don't ever want to let go. I don't think I'd be able to. This isn't how it should be. We shouldn't have to hide, like we're criminals. Weiss shouldn't have to monitor so that we aren't killed. When we are together, I want it to only be about us." He sighed heavily, "And I know that if we went through with this, I wouldn't be able to let it just be this one time. I'd want more. I'd want to figure out ways for us to be together. That might work for a while, Syd, but soon we'd get sick of hiding and worrying and it would only hurt our relationship. I don't want to do anything to endanger that, it's too important to me. Plus, I'm not sure I could stand putting your life in danger like that...For such a selfish reason."  
  
Sydney took his hands in hers, "Have you ever stopped to think about what I want?"  
  
Vaughn's eyes scanned her face and he shook his head. She went on, "I want the same things that you do. You make it sound like you're the only one. If we did this and if we started to have a secret relationship, it would be a decision made by both of us."  
  
Vaughn nodded, "I'm sorry, you're right. Is this what you want?"  
  
Sydney lowered her eyes. "If you mean do I want you, yes, more than you could know. But I see where you're coming from and I'm not sure I'd be able to stop either. I'd want more."  
  
Vaughn bobbed his head, "And I do want more, more than just one memorable night. Syd, I feel so close to you in many ways, but there are so many things I don't know about you. I want to know more than what pets you had as a child. I want to know everything about you. I'm not saying I want to know what your favorite ice cream flavor is or which Beatle is your favorite before anything can happen between us. All I'm saying is that I want our relationship to progress naturally. I want to learn things about you gradually and then lead up to this moment. I don't want us to jump into this just because the opportunity presented itself, because someone put a key in front of us. This is too important and I don't want to do something we may regret later."  
  
Sydney smiled widely, as she linked her fingers with his. "You do know that any other man in your position wouldn't even give this a second thought."  
  
Vaughn smiled sheepishly, "I know what you're thinking. You're thinking I must be an idiot to pass this up."  
  
Sydney shook her head and met his eyes, her voice soft. "No, I was thinking you're not just any other man."  
  
He smiled and then brought his hand to her cheek. His thumb caressed it, before his lips met hers in a gentle kiss.  
  
Then he pulled back and looked into her eyes. "And you're sure as hell not just any other woman."  
  
She laughed, her eyes brightening. They sat there in silence for a few moments, contemplating the decision they'd just made.  
  
All of those secret looks, coy smiles and words laced with subtext had led to this moment...and they'd both decided not to take it any farther.  
  
Sydney turned to him. "So, we still have the room. If we're not going to use it for its intended purpose, then what do you suppose we do?"  
  
Vaughn glanced around the room, as he tried to suppress those lingering desires that still stirred within him.  
  
He shrugged and pointed to the television. "We could watch some television."  
  
Sydney smiled and rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "We must need our heads examined. Here we are in France, in a hotel room, safe for once and what are we going to do? Watch television."  
  
Vaughn grinned, "I know, steamy."  
  
They both laughed and then moved to the head of the bed. They sat with their backs up against the headboard, careful to leave enough room between them so as not to cause unnecessary temptation. Vaughn reached for the television remote control, which sat on the nightstand beside the bed. He flicked the television on and quickly flipped through the channels before finding one that interested him.  
  
Sydney looked over at him and smiled, "You're a remote control hog."  
  
Vaughn chuckled, "Guilty as charged." He paused and then pointed at the television with the remote. "But I tend to choose good shows. Look, it's 'Family Matters'. Is there anything better than Urkel in French?"  
  
Syd laughed and shook her head, "No, I suppose not."  
  
They both turned their attention to the television where Urkel occupied the screen in his trademark too-short pants, suspenders and glasses.  
  
He knocked over a lamp in the Winslow's house and then shrieked 'Did I do that?', only in French, "Ai-t-je fait cela?"  
  
Sydney and Vaughn erupted in laughter.  
  
"I always knew Urkel was funny in English, but who knew how funny he could be in French?" Sydney commented.  
  
"I think it has something to do with the nasally voice done in French," Vaughn replied.  
  
Sydney nodded in agreement, before grabbing the remote from Vaughn and flipping through the channels. She stopped on 'Gilligan's Island'.  
  
They watched as Gilligan once again thwarted an effort to get off the island.  
  
"You know, I always wondered why someone didn't just kill Gilligan. They would have gotten off that island a lot sooner," Vaughn said.  
  
Syd shrugged, "Oh, come on, Gilligan was sweet and funny. He was cute in a goofy sort of way."  
  
Vaughn's eyes widened at her. "You had a crush on Gilligan when you were a kid, didn't you?"  
  
Sydney blushed, "I wouldn't call it a crush. I found him endearing."  
  
"You had the hots for Gilligan," he declared.  
  
Sydney laughed and offered him a lighthearted swat on the arm.  
  
Her hand made contact with his arm and lingered there longer than necessary. Their eyes met and held for a moment, the desire between them once again igniting.  
  
Sydney was the first to look away. She swallowed hard, noticing Vaughn do the same out of the corner of her eye.  
  
Vaughn picked up the remote, which lay between them and began flipping through the channels. He stopped on the 'Golden Girls'.  
  
Sydney smiled, "Oh, I love this show!"  
  
Vaughn nodded, "This show was great. Just a bunch of older women sitting around eating cheesecake was hilarious."  
  
"I loved Rose. Her stories were so funny. And Sophia's wisecracks. Loved them."  
  
He shook his head, "I was a Dorothy man. She was strong and smart and feisty. Very sarcastic."  
  
Sydney looked at him and then burst out laughing. "You had a crush on Bea Arthur!"  
  
Vaughn's face grew red, "I said I liked the character of Dorothy. I never said anything about Bea Arthur."  
  
She smiled, "You didn't have to, it was in your eyes. You liked her manly qualities, didn't you?"  
  
"Bea Arthur's a handsome woman."  
  
Sydney had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing. "Michael Vaughn had the hots for Bea Arthur. Or shall I say 'has', present tense?"  
  
Vaughn shook his head and grinned, as he flipped through the channels again.  
  
They were both enjoying this. It was so nice to just have some normal moments together....To spend time together without any worries of being discovered. They were getting to know each other little by little, the way it was meant to be.  
  
Vaughn stopped on a French soap opera, but immediately regretted it when he realized they were in the middle of a love scene. He swallowed hard and looked at Sydney out of the corner of his eye. She took a deep breath and shifted position.  
  
They both sat there in silence for a moment, hearts racing, eyes glued to the images on the screen, aware of how they could be doing the very same thing right now...aware of how close they had come.  
  
After a few tension-filled moments, they turned to each other and said at the same time, "How about something else?"  
  
They both laughed at that, which finally broke the tension that had settled in the room.  
  
They continued to watch television, commenting on different aspects of the shows and generally enjoying each other's company.  
  
After some time, Sydney placed her hand in between them palm up and looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He caught her eye and a moment after Sydney looked away, she could feel his hand slip into hers, fingers linking.  
  
She smiled to herself. This would have to do for now. This would have to be enough.  
  
She spoke softly, her eyes never leaving the television, "Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Ringo."  
  
Vaughn looked over at her, noticing a smile playing across her lips.  
  
He grinned, "That's a start."  
  
* * * *  
  
When Vaughn awoke the next morning, it took him a moment to realize where he was. Then it all came back to him.  
  
He was in France. In a hotel room. With Sydney. And nothing had happened. Well, almost nothing.  
  
He could feel a weight on his chest and looked down to find Sydney's head resting on it. He was still sitting semi-upright, his neck leaning against the headboard. He could already feel it tightening and knew he'd pay for assuming that position today. Sydney had somehow found her way over to his side during the night and now her head lay on top of him, sleeping soundly.  
  
He simply watched her, noticing how her eyes fluttered and how her slightly parted lips made a soft whistle sound. She looked so peaceful, he thought. She looked like nothing had ever hurt her. He wished he could make it so nothing ever would again.  
  
Vaughn was still admiring her beauty, when the phone on the nightstand rang. His arm quickly reached for the phone and picked it up, before it could wake her. She stirred slightly, but remained asleep.  
  
"Hello?" Vaughn said quietly.  
  
"Hey, stranger," Weiss greeted him. "So, I'm going to assume that the date went well, considering that you never came back, didn't call and the manager gave me a room number to call."  
  
Vaughn smirked. "Who are you, my mother?"  
  
"Would your mother ask for details?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Then no."  
  
Vaughn rubbed at his eyes, "Did you call for a reason or just to harass me?"  
  
"Both, actually, but mainly because there's a slight problem with the gyroscope and I need you here."  
  
"All right. How about Syd?"  
  
"No, don't need her."  
  
"Okay, I'll be right there," Vaughn said reluctantly, as he glanced down at Sydney.  
  
"Good. And don't forget the éclairs."  
  
Vaughn nodded his reply and then hung up.  
  
He looked down at Sydney. The last thing he wanted to do was leave her, but he didn't have a choice. He stroked her hair gently and resisted the urge to kiss her lips.  
  
He then carefully moved his body from beneath her and placed her head on the pillow. She changed position a bit, but didn't wake. Vaughn quickly scribbled a note to her explaining what had happened and that he took a taxi, so she could use the car to get back. He then picked up his jacket, offered her one last look and a smile, before turning the doorknob.  
  
He had one foot out the door when he heard her soft voice.  
  
"I love you."  
  
He froze, thinking she must have been talking in her sleep again. He slowly turned around to face her and was surprised to find that she was staring back at him, a sleepy smile spreading across her lips.  
  
His eyes widened and he had to actually tell his brain to tell his legs to walk towards her. It wasn't until he reached her and looked into her sparkling eyes, that what she said registered.  
  
He smiled and bent down to her, whispering, "I love you, too," before brushing his lips across hers.  
  
He then returned to his upright position. No more words passed between them and no more words were necessary. They knew that it would be a long time before they could act on those feelings...This would have to be enough for now.  
  
Vaughn walked to the door and exited the room.  
  
* * * *  
  
Weiss grinned like the Cheshire Cat when he saw Vaughn enter.  
  
"Well, look who's back! It's Don Juan!"  
  
Vaughn blushed and shook his head, "We're in France. You couldn't have come up with a French character?"  
  
Weiss shrugged, "The only French character I know is Pepe LePew and that just didn't seem appropriate."  
  
Vaughn smiled and Weiss went on, rubbing his hands together. "All right, man, I want details. Details, details, details. Oh, and give me my éclairs. I like to eat while being entertained."  
  
Vaughn handed him a small paper bag and then shook his head. "Here's your éclairs...and that's all you're going to get."  
  
Weiss stopped peering in the bag and looked up at him. "What? You've got to be kidding. I'm the reason this whole thing happened. Don't you remember my whole 'not light, darkness' speech? It was all me, man."  
  
Vaughn shrugged his shoulders and didn't say a word. Weiss groaned, "You can't do this to me. I deserve to know. I feel like a matchmaker of sorts. A Yenta, if you will. You cannot end up in a room with Sydney and stay out all night and then not let me in on what happened."  
  
Vaughn sighed in defeat and looked at his best friend. "All right, I'll tell you."  
  
Weiss's eyes lit up. "Okay, now we're talking. Wait a minute though, let me get my éclair." He dug into the bag and pulled out an éclair. He began to chomp on it, speaking with his mouth full. "Okay, go."  
  
Vaughn nodded, "Okay...Nothing happened."  
  
Weiss groaned. "Come on, Mike, you ended up in a hotel room, *something* must have happened."  
  
Vaughn rubbed at his face. "All right, the manager offered us a key to a room...and after some consideration we decided to take him up on the offer."  
  
Weiss smiled, some chocolate on the edges of his lips. "Very nice. Go on."  
  
Vaughn lowered his eyes, his face growing red, "So, we got up there...we kissed...and we *almost* did more."  
  
"Almost?" Weiss asked through a mouthful of éclair. "You almost did something? You woke up in a hotel room with Sydney and you almost did something?"  
  
Vaughn rubbed at his face, "Yeah, I stopped before we could go very far."  
  
Weiss nearly choked on his éclair. "You stopped it? Why? What's wrong with you?"  
  
Vaughn chuckled, "I honestly don't know." He paused and then added seriously, "It just wasn't right. I didn't want it to happen like that. When it does, I want it to be right...and I want it to last."  
  
Weiss shook his head and laughed, "What a load of bull! You're an idiot! Do you know that? You are an idiot. There must be a village around here somewhere that's missing you."  
  
Vaughn rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything as Weiss went on. "You're in France, in a room with a woman you've wanted for - Oh, I don't know - ever, and she is perfectly willing....and you...you stop anything else from happening! Seriously, you're an idiot."  
  
Vaughn sighed heavily, "If you'd ever been in love, you'd understand."  
  
Weiss nodded his head mockingly, "Oh, would I? Let me tell you what I understand. You just passed up the one opportunity you might ever get to be with the woman of your dreams. That might have been it, Mike. Who knows what might happen? Syd's job is dangerous and there's no telling when this will all be over. Who knows if you'll ever have another chance? Who knows how long you'll have to wait?"  
  
Vaughn pursed his lips, considering what Weiss said. He was right. He may have passed up his only chance and he'd have to live with that. Still, he was sure he'd made the right choice.  
  
He smiled and said softly, "You might be right, but I have to believe that someday it'll happen. And I know that when it does it'll be worth the wait."  
  
Weiss simply looked at him and shook his head, before stuffing more éclair in his mouth,"So, just out of curiosity, what did you two do all night?"  
  
Vaughn grinned, "Watched television."  
  
Weiss snorted, "You watched television. France, hotel room, one of the hottest women on the planet and you watch television." He paused and then muttered, "Idiot."  
  
Vaughn simply smiled.  
  
***********************************THE END**************************************** Hope you enjoyed it and please let me know what you thought! :)  
  
Steph 


End file.
